Price tag



Jan. 4, 1933" K H LE 4 2,104,698

PRICE TAG Original Filed Oct. 29, 1934 INVENTOR j-g' BY jg ATTORNEYPatented Jan. 4, 1938 t met me Frederick Kohnle, Dayton, Ohio; assignorto' The I r.

Monarch Marking System Company, Dayton,

Ohio, :3. corporationof Ohio I v Application October 29, 1934, SerialNo. 7503-35 Renewed October 5, 1-937, v a

'2 Claims, (c1; air- 25 of This invention relates to improvements inprice tags, and particularly as organized in a strip or co-ntinuous'tapefor use in marking machines wherein the strips are advanced for printingupon the tags in their consecutive order the marking data, andsuccessively severing and issuing the printed tags from the machine aseither applied to themerchandise or to be subsequently manuallyattached. Y

An object of the invention is to provide a gang tag strip orcontinuoustape with spaced rectangula'r-punchings, a set of apertureslongitudinally of the strip, preferably centrally thereof, eachrespectively in proximity to an edge of the tag or to a divisional linealong'which the tags are severed from the strip and one another. Theapertures are utilized for intermittently. advancing the strip in amarking machine, being successively engagedby a reciprocable' feedfinger.

Locating the feed apertures, each at one side of a division line of twoadjoining tags, allows the foremost tag to' be sustainedat a stationwhile the feed finger is atrest at the end of a feeding strip andengaged with the strip to prevent displacement of the foremost tag whileprinting thereon and severing from the strip.

Another object of the invention is to provide a feed finger foradvancing a tag strip, having a pair of spaced tongues at its forwardend, one

0 to successively engage with a spaced, apertured tag of the strip, andthe second to overlie and bear upon the strip to hold the strip upon atable or track against vertical displacement and to engage and advancethe last tag of the strip.

35 Various other features and advantages will be more fully set forth ina description of the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of the improved tag stripcontaining a plurality of tags.

40 Figure 2 is a plan view of a section of the tag strip disposed on atable or way of a marking machine and operated upon by a feed fingerillustrated as moving in a forward or feeding direction engaged with thestrip.

45 Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section similar to Figure 2 showing the finger as movingin a retreat direction disconnected from the tag strip.

Figure 5 is a section on line 55, Figure 4.

50 Figure 6 is a perspective view of the forward end of a feed finger. I

Referring to the drawing, l indicates a paper tape or continuous striphaving notches or slits 2 cut transversely or inwardly into the stripfrom 5 one longitudinal edge thereof at predetermined spacings apart,defining theifidividual'tag comprised iri' thstripi I The strips may beeither in convenient si'aedg ang' lengths for fiat packag ing, orin--extendedlen gtl is' reel wound. This is somewhat governed'by" thetype of fastener or 5 clip with which the individual tags of the groupare equipped; and also" by the ply" thickness of paper stock employed.

The-strips are primarily contemplated for use in connection withmarkingmachines for print- 10 ing thereon the pride-marking data, andthence severing the individual tags from the strip or one another.- Forthe type of tag illustrated, it

is equipped with-the ordinary double" prong wire staple in-which thehead or cross bar portion 15 of-thestaple clinched to the body of thetag so thatthe prongs or pm ends extend upright at right angles orperpendicular to theplane' of the tag. It is preferable to merchandisesuch fastener equipped type in the fiator gang lengths, 20 and it isalso desirable and advantageous to have the fasteners atthe-head end ormargin of the tag, lying between the notches o'r slits 2, as thenotcheslprovide for-a partial preseveringof the tags from oneanother,reducing the cutting length necessary tocompletely sever the tag so thatthere is no possible interference of the cutter instrumentalities withthe, fasteners.

To render all types of tags under a general classification as, pintickets and string tags, in which a metallic or string fastener ispermanently incorporated as a part of the tag, and gum labels, which areadhesively applied to the merchandise to be marked, and various sizes ofeach type, usable in a single machine for pricemarking and severing thetags from the strip, the strip, in addition to the edge notching orslitting heretofore referred to, is provided with rectangular slots orapertures 3, one for each tag comprised in the strip. The slots eachrespectively are located within the body of a tag or intermediately ofthe width of the strip and slightly offset or staggered from the innerend of an adjoining notch. 1

The machine, of which only the table or way 4 ad reciprocating carriage5 carrying a depressible feed finger 6 is illustrated herein, deemedsumcient for the present purposes,'may, for example, be typical of acommercial machine corresponding to that illustrated in Letters'Patentissued to me September 2'7, 1932, No. 1,879,875 and to which referencemay be had for a more comprehensive detailed description and morecomplete understanding.

As shown, the carriage 5 is in a superposed spring 8 housed within thegroove in the underside of the carriage, and covered by a cover plate 9fixed to the carriage. The forward end of the cover plate is alsoflanged or lip-turned oppositely to the end of the feed finger forconfining the finger against displacement. The finger yieldslongitudinally, and hinges or swings laterally for yieldingly depressingthe forward end of the finger to cooperate with the tagstrip trackedupon the top of the table. i r The finger is yieldingly depressed by aspring l0 sooketed in the under side of the carriage and bearing on thetop of the finger approximately;

midway of its length. The forward end of the finger is of forkedformation providing an outwardly or downwardly directed tang l2 and atongue II. The tang 12 has ajsquared or butt end for engaging a shoulderor edge, resulting in forming a slot or aperture 3 for advancing thestrip. The tongue H extends beyondthe tang and normally slides over andyieldingly bears upon the upper side of the strip holding-the stripagainst vertical displacement. The forward end is squared for vabuttingengagement with the end of the strip, a last tag thereof to advance thesame after the tang is ineffective. The tang l2 engages into alongitudinal groove 13 in the top of the table so that the butt end ofthe tang intersects the top plane of the table-preventing the fingerfrom losing its contact with the edge or shoulder with which it isengaged when extended through a slot or aperture in the strip.- Thisleaves no opportunity for it to wedge beneath the tag or strip which itwould otherwise be apt to do particularly if the strip is ofcomparatively thin ply material.

The tongue has a flat under side and is extensive of the tang and bearsupon the tag during the period that'the tang is engaged in a slot oraperture in the strip, thereby preventing any buckling of the strip atthe slot which would be apt to climb the tang and dislodge the same fromthe strip, disturbing strip feed and accuracy of feed.

It is therefore feasible with the same feed fin- 'ger to engage and feedvery thin or heavy ply paper strips in a straight path without liabilityof shifting or disturbing the strip from its longitudinal line a oftravel.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A device for feeding a tag strip, the strip having spaced aperturesrelatively in alignment longitudinally of the strip, comprising a tablefor sustaining the strip, a finger sustained over .the table andreciprocable longitudinally of the strip having its forward endbifurcated, providing a tang and a tongue relatively adjacentlydisposed, the tang for engagement into-an aperture of the strip tointersect a shoulder formed by the aperture connecting the finger to thestrip, and the tongue for hearing on the'upper 7 surface of the stripwhen the tang is engaged into an aperture in the strip for stripadvancement to prevent strip buckling and tang dislodgment from itsfeeding connection with the strip and having a greater reach than thetang for feeding the last tag of the strip.

2. A device for feeding a tag strip, the strip having spaced aperturesrelatively in alignment longitudinally of the strip, comprising, a feed.

finger reciprocable longitudinally in relation to atable surface forsustaining the tag strip, the finger having a laterally extended tang atits forward end for engagement into an aperture of the strip andabuttingly contacting a shoulder formed by the aperture to advance thestrip in a forward stroke of the finger, and a tongue at the forward endof the finger adjacent the tang bearing upon the upper surface of thestrip to depress the same upon the table surface. when the tangis-engaged into an aperture in the strip for strip advancement toprevent strip buckling and tang dislodgment from its feeding connectionwith the strip. 7

' FREDERICK KOHNLE.

